TENNIS ROUNDUP : After a Sluggish Start, Edberg Bounces Lendl

Top-seeded Stefan Edberg of Sweden didn’t know what to expect before beating Czechoslovakia’s Ivan Lendl on Saturday to advance to a showdown with Boris Becker of Germany at an Australian Indoor tournament at Sydney.

“I was a bit lucky to have won,” Edberg said. “We both know each other’s game so well that it’s tough to have any advantage.”

Edberg survived a lethargic start to defeat Lendl, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. In the other semifinal, Becker defeated Todd Woodbridge, 7-5, 6-4.

“I think I gave him a better battle then he expected,” Woodbridge, 19, said.

Edberg said Friday that he and Lendl were so evenly matched that the winner might be the one who had slept better the night before. But Edberg began the match as if he had not awakened.

Lendl won the toss and elected to have Edberg serve. Edberg double-faulted twice to start the match, eventually holding serve, but it was an indication of serving woes to follow.

Lendl finished off the set by breaking Edberg at love.

Edberg continued to look lost early in the second set, moving to the deuce court to receive a Lendl serve while trailing 15-0. Lendl waited until Edberg noticed his error and Edberg, shaking his head, walked over to the advantage court.

Edberg’s resurgence coincided with Lendl becoming upset with several close line calls and his running commentary with umpire Richard Ings of Australia. When the second set went to a tiebreaker, he was fortunate not to have lost the set on a code of conduct violation.

At 4-4 in the tiebreaker, Lendl hit his second service ball high into the air after hitting a shot into the net. On the next point that gave Edberg a 6-4 lead, Lendl smashed his racket on the Rebound Ace surface.

Edberg broke Lendl in the sixth game of the final set, then showed his mettle while, when serving for the match at 5-3, he fought off three break points to take the match.

After an early exchange of service breaks, Becker broke Woodbridge in the 11th game to take a 6-5 lead, then held service for the set victory en route to his victory over the unseeded Australian.

Franco Davin of Argentina outlasted Marian Vadja of Czechoslovakia, 7-6 (7-1), 2-6, 6-3, in the semifinals of a $150,000 tournament at Athens.

Mark Koevermans of the Netherlands won the other semifinal, beating Jordi Aresse of Spain, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4).

Fabrice Santoro of France became the youngest finalist in a Grand Prix tournament this year when he beat Ronald Agenor of Haiti, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, in the semifinals of a $300,000 tournament at Toulouse, France.

Santoro, two months shy of his 18th birthday, will face fourth-seeded Jonas Svensson of Sweden, who beat Amos Mansdorf of Israel, 6-7 (7-5), 6-4, 6-3.